Click here for authlete instructions.
Voter Instructions:
- The countdown at the bottom of each pairing indicates how much time is left to vote.
- When voting closes, timer will disappear.
- Read both poems as many times as you like.
- Mark the poem you like best by clicking the circle next to its name.
- Press the “Vote” button to record your vote.
- Votes are counted in real time and cannot be changed once entered.
- You can only vote once from a given IP address.
- Classrooms should submit one vote as a class.
- Students can then vote again individually from home.
Things to Consider in Making a Choice:
- How well the poem incorporates the authlete’s assigned word.
- Technical elements: meter, rhyme, form, shape, and other poetic standards.
- Creativity: wordplay, imagery, unusual approach, etc.
- Subtle elements that make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
- Your overall response: emotional reaction such as admiration, tears, laughter, terror, or some indefinable feeling.
Here are the poems:
5-casing
Who Am I?
By April Halprin Wayland
I won’t tell. I’m zipped inssside this leathery ssshell
and until we’re friends, I’m embracing
this ssshiny casing.
Who am I?
I’m ssslithery, ssshy.
Once I know you, I’ll begin
to ssshed my ssscared and ssscaly ssskin.
Who am I?
vs.
4-mutual
Coffee Plant Purrs to Honeybee and Bee Buzzes Back
By Buffy Silverman
“I’m a cream-petaled flower at Garden Café
with a full-roasted power and heady bouquet.
I steep a strong drink that you’ll never forget:
so carry my pollen, my fine fuzzy pet.”
5-casing vs. 4-mutual: Which Poem Did You Prefer?
- 5-casing (April Halprin Wayland) (44%, 121 Votes)
- 4-mutual (Buffy Silverman) (56%, 156 Votes)
Total Voters: 277

“This is awesome, where can I find more?”:
Browse other matchups using the slider below and click to go straight to that matchup!